Field
Various wireless systems may benefit from suitable sharing of antennas and related equipment. For example a various avionics systems may benefit from systems and methods for providing a distance measurement equipment L-band shared antenna.
Description of the Related Art
Current L-Band avionics system functions, such as traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), Mode S transponders, air traffic control radar beacon system (ATCRBS) transponders, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) IN or OUT and distance measuring equipment (DME), provide stand-alone or integrated functional architectures where each single functional unit or integrated functional unit also contains the radio frequency (RF) function or functions. This architecture requires an RF interface to a single or multiple coaxial cables that interconnect the RF function to an antenna. However, in prior implementations, separate antennae are required to support the various avionics frequencies and functions, and location on the aircraft for the required functionality can create additional installation/wiring complexity, weight, and cost. Therefore, it would be desirable to selectively share the use of antennae mounted on an aircraft to reduce the complexity cost, yet prior approaches failed to produce practicable solutions to achieve this result.